Clydesdale Bank - PEEK

Clydesdale Bank's dedicated team gave their skills, talent and enthusiasm and made an immediate difference to the charity they worked with, allowing the charity to focus on improving the lives of vulnerable children and young people.

A team of nine enthusiastic volunteers all working in the Bank's Business Change department, the Volunteering Team of the Year were focused on skill sharing and utilising their skills around change management to support PEEK - Possibilities for Each & Every Kid - a small charity which is a former winner of Clydesdale Bank’s Spirit of the Community Awards (2014).

PEEK is a community-led charity that has been operating in the North and East of Glasgow for 15 years. The area it covers faces significant socio-economic challenges, including low levels of educational attainment, high levels of unemployment and issues around poor health and extreme poverty. PEEK offers activities including street play, holiday clubs, theatre clubs, arts awards and weekend drop-in session for children and families.

Integrating business skills

By volunteering their skills and enthusiasm, Clydesdale Bank's dedicated team were able to make an immediate difference to the charity’s operations across the key areas of risks and issue management, marketing, and financial and operational processes. The close-knit team were able to integrate seamlessly into PEEK, introducing improved systems and processes, more rigorous governance and new ideas of working.

As a result, PEEK’s operations became more streamlined and efficient, giving the charity staff more time to focus on their crucial community work to improve the lives of vulnerable children and young people. The team's input has also helped PEEK develop its branding, website and social media strategy.

For the volunteers this was a chance to step out of their comfort zones and better understand the challenges facing a small charity. This led to both personal and professional development, including increased confidence, improved communication skills and team-building.

Our judges felt Clydesdale Bank truly merited an Award for team volunteering at its very best.